After another mass exodus in which the Washington men’s basketball team lost a bevy of players for the third straight year, coach Mike Hopkins has been a frequent shopper at the NCAA transfer portal in recent weeks while replenishing the roster with prized recruits.
The Huskies seemingly plucked another gem and landed Rutgers point guard Paul Mulcahy, who announced his decision Tuesday on Twitter.
The 6-foot-6 grad fifth-year senior was a Big Ten honorable-mention selection last season after averaging 8.3 points, 4.9 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. He shot 43% inside the arc, 37.1% on three-pointers and 72.3% at the free-throw line.
The recruiting website 247 Sports ranks Mulcahy a four-star transfer and he’s considered the top transfer remaining in the portal by On3.com.
After a four-year stint at Rutgers, Mulcahy, a Bayonne, New Jersey, native, reportedly received interest from Kentucky, Gonzaga, Michigan and Kansas before visiting Xavier, Notre Dame and UW over the last few weeks, according to reports.
“I believe that the COVID year has been a blessing for me to have another chance to chase my dream,” Mulcahy told On3. “I think Washington has some elite pieces over there and are hungry to win at a high level. I believe this decision will make me push myself harder than ever before.”
That’s now eight newcomers for Washington to replace eight departures. And the five holdovers give UW 13 scholarship players, which is the NCAA limit.
At first glance, the Huskies appear to have upgraded last year’s team that was 16-16, tied for eighth in the Pac-12 at 8-12 and missed the postseason for the fourth straight year.
Seemingly, Mulcahy, who started the past three years at Rutgers, will compete with Kentucky transfer Sahvir Wheeler for point-guard duties.
Sophomore Koren Johnson, Fresno State transfer Anthony Holland, Lamar transfer Nate Calmese and touted incoming freshman Wesley Yates III will likely vie for minutes at the other guard spot.
Senior forward Keion Brooks Jr., who garnered All-Pac-12 second-team honors and led UW in scoring last year while averaging 17.7 points, is entrenched in the frontcourt alongside 7-1 center Braxton Meah, who nabbed a spot on the league’s All-Defensive team.
Portland transfer Moses Wood is a favorite to land a starting role at forward while Nebraska transfer Wilhem Breidenbach, former Seattle Prep standout Christian King and junior Samuel Ariyibi give UW a deep bench.
The Huskies also expect promising center Franck Kepnang to be ready at the start of the season after missing 24 games last season because of a knee injury.
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